Welcome to Fall... Whoops, I mean Winter.

Well, it's that lovely time of year again.  Autumn in Alaska.  All the leaves are turning various shades of... okay they're all yellow.  The air has that crispy snap to it.  Pumpkin Spice Lattes suddenly feel appropriate.

And now..... It's over.  Yep, that's right.  In the time it took me to type that last bit, autumn in Alaska has come and gone.  Welcome to Winter!  Snow is in the forecast for this weekend.  It's already well-established on the hilltops. 

The wild winds we've been having in recent weeks have successfully knocked all the leaves off the trees.  (Truth be told, those winds took out several full trees as well!) So now we have the option of raking or mowing those leaves off the yard, or just waiting a day or two till they're covered with snow and we won't have to see them again till April.  Any wagers?

Stephen is making rapid progress up the ladder at the municipal wastewater treatment plant.  I expect he'll be appointed mayor of Anchorage any day now.  He's also enjoying his time as a prospect for a local motorcycle gang -- er, club.  Another term for prospect is "grunt slave".  But it's only a year or two till he becomes a full member.  It's all good.

Alicia is happy as a lark.  And, that's saying a lot for Alicia.  She takes after daddy in the Eeyore department.  But right now, her life is rosy.  She's got ballet class on Saturday which leaves her twirling and leaping till at least Tuesday.  Then, she's got her fun-filled Brownie troop every other Tuesday.  We hold those meetings at our house.  If you ever feel a need for complete chaos, volunteer to lead a Brownie troop...  Good times! 

Donald finally landed a "real job" working for a communications company in Anchorage.  It's a 9-5, M-F desk job that he seems to be enjoying.  Let's hope that lasts!  He's planning to move to a different house (he's in an apartment now) with a roommate in late-October.  At that point he'll have a bedroom of his very own.  I don't think he's had one of those since 2009....  Making progress!

Now that winter's imminent, we need to all get our winter tires swapped over.  Luckily, they're all mounted on rims.  So, we don't have to take up residency at the local tire changeover shop as if we were waiting to buy tickets for a Springsteen concert.  Instead, Stephen just needs to find time to change a whole bunch of tires!